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INGREDIENTS
Tempura ingredients, per person:
6 large Shrimp, tail on
5 String Beans, ends and fibrous edge removed
3 slices Eggplant, cut into ¼-inch diagonal slices
3 slices Sweet Potato, cut into ¼-inch diagonal slices
3 slices of Onion, cut in ¼-inch rings
For the Tempura Batter:
¼ lb. Tempura Flour • 2 Cups Water • 1 Egg
For the Tempura Dipping Sauce, per person:
2 Cups Water
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 three-by-four inch strip of dashi kombu, unrefined Seaweed, washed
1 Tbsp. Mirin, sweet Japanese cooking wine
1 Tsp. Sugar
1 Pinch Hondashi, fish bone flavoring (optional)
1 Tsp. Ginger, grated
1 Tsp. White Radish, grated
Vegetable Oil
To Prepare:
1. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
(Make sure that you have enough oil to completely submerge the shrimp
and vegetables when you fry them.)
2. In a large bowl, mix the egg and the tempura batter.
Add the water, a half cup at a time, stirring constantly, until the
mixture is the consistency of pancake batter.
3. Dip vegetables in dried tempura flour first, shake off excess, then
dip into wet tempura batter.
4. Gently drop vegetables into hot oil. They will fall to the bottom,
then float to the
top. Wait 5 seconds then remove and transfer to paper-towel-lined plate
to absorb oil.
5. Take a 2 oz. measure of tempura batter and gradually pour the batter
into the oil
from a height of 12 inches. The hot oil will cause the batter to immediately
break
apart into crispy flakes. With a strainer, gather the tempura flakes
to one side.
6. Dip shrimp in dried tempura flour first, shake off excess, then dip
into wet tempura batter.
7. Roll the shrimp in the tempura flakes in the hot oil, until all sides
are coated.
8. Submerge shrimp completely in oil for 10 seconds, then transfer to
paper-towel-lined plate to absorb oil.
For Tempura Dipping Sauce:
1. Boil water with dashi kombu, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add the soy sauce, Mirin, sugar and hondashi, and simmer 3 minutes
longer.
3. Take sauce off heat and add grated radish and ginger.
To Plate:
Place vegetables in center of plate, leaning them against each other
in a small mound. Place shrimp in pyramid around vegetables. Serve with
short grain Japanese rice.
• Tempura is an archetypal Japanese dish. All the
essential qualities of Japanese cuisine are reflected in its preparation:
the use of absolutely fresh ingredients, the artful presentation, and
the perfection of technique by a skilled chef. If you prepare the dish
correctly, you will have mastered one of the mysteries of Japanese cooking—how
to prepare a fried food that is light and fresh tasting rather than
heavy and greasy.
• The tempura dipping sauce can be prepared ahead
of time and reheated immediately before serving. Remember, the radish
and ginger should not be added until after the sauce has been simmered.
• Tempura should be served hot, immediately after
it has been cooked.
EATING
OUT EAST & WEST OF THE HUDSON
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